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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. net — for catching
  6. race — the arms race
  7. capital — money
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. firm — decided
  12. cue — for pool
  13. net — in sport
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. net — after costs
  18. firm — steady
  19. race — a contest
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — a company
  22. row — a line
  23. race — humankind
  24. kick — in football

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