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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — in football
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. charge — in control
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. charge — a price
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. hand — help
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. charge — electricity

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