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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bat — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rush — hurry
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fine — all right
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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