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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bound — certain
  4. fine — all right
  5. bound — tied together
  6. scale — in music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. row — a line
  16. race — humankind
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chair — a leader
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — to paddle
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. kick — a thrill

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