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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: toast · ball · capital · race · cue · kick · saw · tube

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. cue — a hint
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. tube — a container
  6. capital — money
  7. race — the arms race
  8. ball — a dance
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — a contest
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. capital — a city
  14. cue — a signal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tube — the underground
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cue — for pool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — humankind
  24. toast — bread

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