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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · cap · chip · lean · kid · shower · key · spell

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. key — in music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — to wash
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — rain
  12. spell — magic
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — letters
  18. key — the most important part
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chip — for betting

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