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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rule — government
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. clip — a video
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — humankind
  15. can — a tin
  16. suit — to fit
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kick — in football
  19. can — to be able to
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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