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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. race — humankind
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ball — a great time
  6. game — a match
  7. stand — to bear
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. club — a group
  12. ball — a dance
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — for golf
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for dancing
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spring — the season
  23. race — a contest
  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