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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: craft · kick · kid · hide · fall · capital · lie · file

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — to recline
  4. file — a document
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fall — the season
  7. craft — boats
  8. file — a tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. file — a line of people
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. capital — a city
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — money
  22. kick — in football
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — a skill

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