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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. land — a country
  3. row — to paddle
  4. face — to confront
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. kick — in football
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mate — to breed
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mate — a partner
  19. row — a line
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — part of the head
  24. land — ground

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