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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 120 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: race · rock · cap · kick · club · charge · season · tube

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tube — a container
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — music
  7. race — a contest
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. cap — a lid
  16. charge — a price
  17. race — humankind
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. charge — in control
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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