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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: fork · kick · race · ball · rush · tear

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tear — to rip
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. race — humankind
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. race — a contest
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rush — hurry
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — to hurry

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