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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — the season
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. race — humankind
  7. land — a country
  8. kick — in football
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. land — to come down
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cue — a signal
  19. race — a contest
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spring — of water
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kick — with a leg

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