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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. firm — a company
  4. mug — a face
  5. kick — in football
  6. lean — thin
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. mug — a cup
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stock — goods
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — humankind
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — the arms race
  22. game — a match
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. game — a kind of play

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