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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. kick — in football
  15. field — for sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. shower — to wash
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. field — farmland
  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