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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bound — tied together
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — for catching
  7. kick — in football
  8. net — in sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — after costs
  15. race — a contest
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bound — certain
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — a football final

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