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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 124 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — a contest
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — low music
  8. spell — magic
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. club — for golf
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spell — letters
  18. kick — in football
  19. mark — a grade
  20. key — in music
  21. club — a group
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mine — belonging to me

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