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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: lie · temple · fall · kick · rule · cap · straw · shower

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fall — the season
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — to wash
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — a law
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. kick — in football
  24. cap — a lid

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