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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — in football
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mark — a trace
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — a friend
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rash — a series
  21. kid — child
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mate — a partner

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