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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · spring · squash · object · bat · rush · arm · kick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — the season
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. object — a thing
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rush — hurry
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. kick — in football
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. object — to protest

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