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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.

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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bore — to tire
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kick — in football
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bore — to drill

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