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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: pit · shower · squash · trunk · deal · bore · kick · lash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pit — a hole
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bore — to drill
  9. shower — rain
  10. squash — to crush
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bore — to tire
  20. shower — to wash
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — in a race

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