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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wake — a trail
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. race — humankind
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. race — the arms race
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kid — child
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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