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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · pitcher · ground · lie · fine · kick · capital · shower

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. capital — a city
  7. fine — all right
  8. kid — child
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lie — to recline
  12. shower — rain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — a position
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — in football
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — to wash

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