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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — low music
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. key — in music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lash — to lash out

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