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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. ground — a position
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cold — not warm
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — money
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. snap — to click
  18. ground — the earth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. cold — the Cold War

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