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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. court — for sport
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitch — completely
  10. court — of a king
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. face — to point toward
  13. swing — music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — in football
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — from crying

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