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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: lean · deal · fork · kick · chest · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. deal — to handle
  3. lean — thin
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chest — a box
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. race — the arms race
  12. kick — in football
  13. race — a contest
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chest — of your body

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