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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 116 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 · race · ground · fork · mine · safe · hand · pit

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — humankind
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — in football
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pit — in a race
  15. race — the arms race
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. race — a contest
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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