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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. board — a committee
  4. kick — in football
  5. charge — a price
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. charge — in control
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. race — the arms race
  15. degree — temperature
  16. charge — electricity
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — from a university
  20. race — a contest
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. board — to get on
  24. race — humankind

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