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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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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: lie · swing · mouse · cabinet · staff · mug · kid · kick

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. swing — music
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — employees
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — in football
  15. staff — a stick
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mug — a face
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — to rob

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