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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. root — the cause
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. roll — a cake
  7. root — of a word
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a plant
  21. roll — a list
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. shower — rain
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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