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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · kick · lash · club · craft · chest

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chest — a box
  3. club — a group
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cap — a hat
  9. club — for golf
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. club — for dancing
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — a lid

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