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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. kid — to tease
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. race — a contest
  18. kid — child
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. race — humankind
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — to hurry

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