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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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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: plane · bore · cue · hide · race · dip · kick · tear

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — to rip
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cue — a hint
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — to tire
  18. kick — in football
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. race — humankind
  24. kick — a thrill

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