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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: leaves · race · lie · lash · stick · kick · chip · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — humankind
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kick — in football
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cap — a hat
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. race — a contest
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lash — an eyelash

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