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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fall — the season
  3. race — the arms race
  4. kick — in football
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — government
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rule — a law
  23. ground — a position
  24. rule — to rule out

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