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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: lie · file · pound · chest · race · saw · kick · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. chest — a box
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. race — a contest
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kick — in football
  24. file — a tool

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