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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. net — in sport
  3. game — a match
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. net — after costs
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. can — to be able to
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. net — for catching
  21. date — the fruit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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