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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — child
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — certain
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. hand — in cards
  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