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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. race — humankind
  4. mate — a partner
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — in football
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — a contest
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mark — a grade
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rock — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. race — the arms race
  24. racket — for tennis

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