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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 116 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. row — to paddle
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kick — in football
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a line
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to click
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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