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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 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pop — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. staff — a stick
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. shower — rain
  14. staff — employees
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pop — soda
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lie — an untruth

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