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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. race — a contest
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bat — the animal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kick — in football
  12. can — to be able to
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — the tool
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — army training
  19. toast — bread
  20. race — humankind
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. can — a tin

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