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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. content — the amount
  11. kid — child
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. root — of a word
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. game — a match
  21. root — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kick — in football
  24. safe — out of danger

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