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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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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 · pitcher · swing · kick · hide · fine · row · rule

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. swing — in golf
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — government
  7. fine — all right
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rule — a law
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fine — high quality
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. row — a line
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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