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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — to rip
  8. swing — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. key — in music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — a contest
  18. key — for a lock
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — humankind
  22. cue — for pool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. race — the arms race

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