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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. season — of the year
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — after costs
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cue — a signal
  21. kick — in football
  22. race — humankind
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cue — for pool

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