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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: lash · stick · fall · hand · charge · game · kick · fine

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kick — in football
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — all right
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. charge — a price
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — wild animals

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