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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rush — hurry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. hand — in cards
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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