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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. kid — child
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — a skill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. shower — to wash
  6. last — final
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — to go on
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. shower — rain
  19. last — finally
  20. kick — in football
  21. craft — boats
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  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