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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: court · press · ball · perch · deal · lash · kick · bay

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ball — a dance
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. court — of a king
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. press — to push
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kick — in football
  24. ball — a round shape

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