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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. board — to get on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — a committee
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. kick — in football
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chip — to eat
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — a lid

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