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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: kick · lie · pitch · shower · race · bark

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — rain
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pitch — completely
  7. race — humankind
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kick — in football
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. race — the arms race

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