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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. kick — in football
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com