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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ball — a great time
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. race — the arms race
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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