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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: game · lean · kick · kid · hand · lie · pound · squash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lie — to recline
  5. squash — the sport
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — help
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — thin
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — in football
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pound — for dogs

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