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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. kick — in football
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. race — humankind
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. net — for catching
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chest — a box
  20. race — a contest
  21. mug — a face
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cell — a phone

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