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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. face — to confront
  4. court — of a king
  5. tube — a container
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — the underground
  8. kick — in football
  9. race — humankind
  10. fine — all right
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fine — high quality
  17. row — a line
  18. chip — for betting
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. court — of law
  23. chip — to eat
  24. court — for sport

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