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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 124 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ground — a position
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kick — in football
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to click
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ground — the earth

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