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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kick — in football
  7. march — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. snap — to click
  15. current — happening now
  16. bass — the fish
  17. march — the month
  18. court — of law
  19. squash — to crush
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lash — an eyelash

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