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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: face · band · ground · pit · kick · deal · lie · rash

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — to recline
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — a series
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. face — to point toward
  15. band — a music group
  16. deal — to handle
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. band — a ring
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. band — a rubber band

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