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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: bass · kick · firm · cell · race · track · lash · cabinet

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. firm — steady
  3. cell — in biology
  4. race — humankind
  5. firm — a company
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bass — low music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — a phone
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. race — the arms race
  16. firm — decided
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. race — a contest
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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