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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — a country
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — in football
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. season — of the year
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. calf — of the leg

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