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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — of law
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — of a king
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. wake — a trail

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