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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: dip · mate · sharp · kick · swing · kid · cell · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — to tease
  6. swing — in golf
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kick — in football
  10. mate — a partner
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mate — a friend
  17. swing — music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — to sink
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lie — to recline
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. dip — a sauce

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