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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chip — for betting
  5. row — a line
  6. last — finally
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — to go on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spell — magic
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kick — in football
  20. last — final
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. row — to paddle

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