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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. kick — in football
  7. craft — boats
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. craft — a skill
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. dip — to sink
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — an injury

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