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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — the arms race
  4. press — a publisher
  5. race — a contest
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. current — of water
  10. press — to push
  11. chip — to eat
  12. race — humankind
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. press — newspapers
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — part of the body

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