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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 120 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: kick · court · rush · lash · bay · fall · can · wound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fall — the season
  16. can — a tin
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. court — of law
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of a king
  24. bay — a horse colour

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