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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kick — in football
  9. field — farmland
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. swing — music
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mouse — the animal
  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