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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: calf · mine · kid · net · lean · kick · pound · race

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. race — the arms race
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kid — child
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. race — a contest
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — a weight
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — to bend
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — humankind

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