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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — child
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — to crush
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a grade

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