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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chip — to eat
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — help
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. degree — an amount
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. calf — of the 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