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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 · kick · mug · deal · rule · key · cap · clip

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. key — in music
  3. mug — a face
  4. cap — of ice
  5. race — a contest
  6. clip — for paper
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — a law
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. race — the arms race
  14. kick — in football
  15. deal — to handle
  16. key — the most important part
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rule — government
  19. clip — to cut
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — a video

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