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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — the most important part
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. roll — a list
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bat — the animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. roll — on a roll

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