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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. firm — decided
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fine — all right
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kid — child

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