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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. race — a contest
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. race — humankind
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. degree — temperature
  10. scale — size or range
  11. roll — a list
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. content — the amount
  21. degree — an amount
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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