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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. staff — a stick
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. net — for catching
  8. staff — employees
  9. court — of a king
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bass — low music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. court — of law
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. race — humankind
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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