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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. key — the most important part
  14. shower — rain
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chip — for betting
  18. key — in music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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