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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 · bowl · foot · chair · kick · bat · race · nail

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — a contest
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bat — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fork — in a road
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. kick — in football
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. race — the arms race
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. race — humankind
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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