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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. shower — rain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kick — in football
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spring — of water
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — music
  16. race — a contest
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spring — the season
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — the animal

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