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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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Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. kick — in football
  3. race — the arms race
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. current — happening now
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. vault — a safe
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. can — to be able to
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. race — humankind
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — child
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. dip — to sink
  21. current — of water
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. straw — dry grass
  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