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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 116 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: kick · lash · bat · cue · fork · patient · hide · face

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — a signal
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — to confront
  13. kick — in football
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fork — to eat with

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