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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · bore · can · game · hand · cold · straw · kick

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. can — a tin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cold — not warm
  7. game — wild animals
  8. kick — in football
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cold — an illness
  12. game — a match
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — to drill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hand — help
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — part of the body

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