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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. court — of law
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. root — of a word
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. root — the cause
  24. straw — dry grass

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