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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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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: kick · race · firm · chest · net · object

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. object — an aim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. race — the arms race
  6. firm — steady
  7. object — a thing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — in football
  10. race — a contest
  11. firm — a company
  12. chest — of your body
  13. object — to protest
  14. net — in sport
  15. chest — a box
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. race — humankind

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