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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pit — a hole
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. race — the arms race
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. race — a contest
  23. kick — in football
  24. pit — in a race

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