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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — certain
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — a series
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kick — in football
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — to paddle

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