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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — to paddle
  13. swing — to play on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mug — a face
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. swing — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. kick — in football
  23. hand — help
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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