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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pitch — completely
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — humankind
  16. spell — letters
  17. rush — hurry
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. spell — a short time
  24. race — a contest

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