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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stock — goods
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. kick — in football
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stock — shares
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ground — a position
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kid — child
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ground — the earth

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