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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: bore · toast · trunk · race · pitcher · clip · kick · fine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — bread
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. race — the arms race
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fine — high quality
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. race — a contest
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — to tire
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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