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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 · hand · chest · mine · ruler · plane · trunk · race

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hand — help
  7. plane — a tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. race — humankind
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. race — the arms race
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. race — a contest
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — a box
  24. trunk — of a tree

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