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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — clever
  12. vault — a safe
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mate — a partner
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. calf — a young animal

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