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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. swing — to play on
  3. race — the arms race
  4. clip — for paper
  5. suit — to fit
  6. hand — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. race — humankind
  11. hand — help
  12. swing — music
  13. rule — government
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rule — a law
  16. kick — in football
  17. clip — a video
  18. suit — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. swing — in golf
  24. race — a contest

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