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

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rush — hurry
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. race — humankind
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cell — a phone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. kick — with a leg

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