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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. key — in music
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rest — a break
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — help
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fork — a garden tool

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