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

Word bank: race · shower · cap · rush · racket · field · kick · safe

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cap — a hat
  3. shower — rain
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cap — of ice
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — hurry
  11. field — a subject
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cap — a lid
  16. shower — to wash
  17. race — a contest
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. race — the arms race
  21. field — for sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. race — humankind
  24. field — farmland

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