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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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Word bank
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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ground — a position
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — in sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kick — in football
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ball — a great time
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ground — the earth
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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