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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: vault · fall · lean · kick · race · kid · bowl · stick

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kid — to tease
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kick — in football
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fall — the season
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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