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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. rule — government
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. race — a contest
  10. mate — to breed
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rule — a law
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kick — in football
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — a container
  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