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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. roll — a list
  5. object — to protest
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kick — in football
  10. kid — to tease
  11. dip — to sink
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spring — the season
  15. clip — a video
  16. spring — of water
  17. object — an aim
  18. roll — a cake
  19. spring — a coil
  20. clip — to cut
  21. object — a thing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — child

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