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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kick — in football
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. race — humankind
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cue — a hint
  18. roll — a list
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ground — a position
  22. lean — to bend
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kick — with a leg

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