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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mug — to rob
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. kick — in football
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — to tease

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