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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kick — in football
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. race — the arms race
  24. dip — to dunk

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