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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: lash · kick · coach · content · bat · bass · rush · wound

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — low music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — the fish
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rush — hurry
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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