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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mug — a cup
  10. kick — in football
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a line
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mug — a face
  17. cell — in biology
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — a phone

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