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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kick — in football
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. row — a line
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wind — moving air

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