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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: coach · stick · lean · race · kick · cabinet

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lean — thin
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. race — humankind
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — in football
  14. race — the arms race
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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