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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. kick — in football
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. race — a contest
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kid — to tease
  16. net — after costs
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — all right
  20. race — the arms race
  21. kid — child
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  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