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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — to wash
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cold — an illness
  18. perch — the fish
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cold — not warm
  22. shower — rain
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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