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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — magic
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — temperature
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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