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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — ground
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — humankind
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — a contest
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kick — in football

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