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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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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. race — a contest
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ball — a great time
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kick — in football
  16. stock — shares
  17. row — a line
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — in a race
  21. shower — rain
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — humankind

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