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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: stand · kick · kid · cap · face · bay · fine · hand

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — child
  5. fine — all right
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hand — help
  18. kick — in football
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hand — part of the body

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