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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. perch — the fish
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. chest — of your body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. court — of law
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chest — a box
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — in football

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