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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — for golf
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kid — child
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. race — a contest
  14. club — a group
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. club — for dancing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — a video
  24. mark — a trace

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