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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — to come down
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. land — ground
  7. firm — steady
  8. drill — the tool
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. content — the amount
  12. kick — in football
  13. firm — decided
  14. drill — army training
  15. firm — a company
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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