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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. clip — a video
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lean — thin
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. hand — help
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. race — the arms race
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kick — in football
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lean — to bend
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. clip — to cut
  24. squash — the sport

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