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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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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 · wake · chip · cabinet · bat · face · fall · kick

  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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. kick — in football
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bat — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. dip — to sink

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