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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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468
Word bank
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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. key — in music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tube — the underground
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. race — humankind
  12. fork — in a road
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tube — a container
  24. key — the most important part

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