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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 · bat · stick · calf · fork · chest · nail · rush

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chest — of your body

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