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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — to play on
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lie — to recline
  19. kick — in football
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. foot — a measure

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