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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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Word bank
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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: race · kick · hide · object · ball · wind

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — an aim
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — moving air
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. object — a thing
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a great time
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kick — in football
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. object — to protest

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