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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 120 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: hide · face · kick · dip · land · current · rash · mine

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — to confront
  3. dip — to sink
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mine — for digging
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. land — a country
  13. current — happening now
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. land — to come down
  16. current — of water
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rash — a series
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — in football
  24. current — electric

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