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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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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: pit · race · game · craft · press · kick · degree · lash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. press — to push
  3. race — humankind
  4. degree — from a university
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. press — newspapers
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kick — in football
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. press — a publisher
  15. game — a match
  16. race — a contest
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pit — a hole
  21. craft — a skill
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pit — in a race
  24. degree — temperature

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