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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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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 · lash · ground · race · bass · cue · sharp · trunk

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cue — a hint
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cue — for pool
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — low music
  24. lash — an eyelash

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