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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: arm · chest · kick · date · kid · mouse · racket · last

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. date — the fruit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. last — final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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