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

Word bank: wound · racket · mate · lash · pop · vault · fine · kick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — soda
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fine — all right
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pop — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kick — in football
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mate — a partner
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lash — to lash out

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