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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 116 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: sharp · cabinet · drill · ball · lie · kid · snap · stick

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a great time
  4. drill — army training
  5. kid — child
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ball — a dance
  19. snap — to click
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. sharp — exactly

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