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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: bass · bore · lie · chip · saw · kick · can · hand

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lie — to recline
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bass — low music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bore — to tire
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — a tin
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. hand — help
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — to drill

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