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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — to breed
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. hand — help
  10. club — for golf
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. club — a group
  14. craft — boats
  15. mate — a friend
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. kick — in football
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — the earth

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