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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. band — a ring
  3. kick — in football
  4. race — a contest
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ground — a position
  7. tube — a container
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. band — a music group
  14. ground — the earth
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ground — crushed
  20. staff — employees
  21. race — the arms race
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — humankind
  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