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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. charge — a price
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cue — for pool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — in football
  21. lean — to bend
  22. charge — in control
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cap — of ice

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