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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kick — in football
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. scale — in music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. ground — the earth
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — in an idiom

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