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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. race — humankind
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kick — in football
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kick — a thrill

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