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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pop — music
  8. craft — boats
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kick — in football
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — army training
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. plane — a tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. craft — a skill

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