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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · race · cell · current · tube · kick

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. current — of water
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. race — a contest
  13. tube — a container
  14. kick — in football
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — the underground
  17. current — electric
  18. cell — in a prison

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