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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. court — for sport
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cap — of ice
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chip — to eat
  14. race — a contest
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kick — in football
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chip — for betting
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mark — a trace
  24. court — of a king

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