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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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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: lie · kick · race · lash · lean · chest · net · racket

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chest — a box
  13. kick — in football
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. race — humankind
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. lean — thin
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. net — for catching

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