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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. kick — in football
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spring — of water
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — a thing
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. object — to protest
  12. race — humankind
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — of the year
  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