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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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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: wound · ball · hide · staff · lash · track · kick · cell

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ball — a dance
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. staff — employees
  21. track — a path
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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