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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. craft — boats
  11. wound — an injury
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. craft — a skill
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. craft — a handicraft

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