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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: foot · lie · cabinet · snap · season · kid · tear · chip

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. snap — to click
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kid — child
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — in sport
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — of the year
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — to eat

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