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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — the animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. swing — in golf
  7. net — after costs
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. squash — to crush
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. swing — to play on
  15. squash — the sport
  16. swing — music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. net — for catching
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kick — with a leg

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