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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. hand — in cards
  3. kid — to tease
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — help
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cap — of ice
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — money
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a city
  18. cap — a lid
  19. face — to confront
  20. snap — to click
  21. face — to point toward
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hand — part of the body

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