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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — in sport
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. board — a committee
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. board — to get on
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. last — finally
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — child

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