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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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 — a thrill
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kick — in football
  7. cold — not warm
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — for light
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. dip — to sink
  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