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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: kid · kick · pop · race · chair · key

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — the most important part
  5. race — a contest
  6. kick — in football
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. race — humankind
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pop — music
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. key — in music
  18. kid — to tease

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