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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. game — wild animals
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — a match
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ground — crushed
  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