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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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Word bank
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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: dip · capital · pop · kid · tear · lie · hide · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — to tease
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. capital — a city
  10. last — final
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. last — finally
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kid — child
  23. capital — money
  24. tear — from crying

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