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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lean — thin
  9. kick — in football
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lean — to bend
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. capital — a city
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — for pool
  23. branch — a division
  24. game — a match

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