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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: kick · chest · lie · ground · lash · vault · safe · degree

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lie — to recline
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kick — in football
  11. ground — a position
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — the earth
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — an amount
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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