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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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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: chip · shower · kick · kid · date · ball · bound · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. kid — child
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bound — tied together
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. shower — rain
  10. face — to confront
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bound — certain
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bound — obliged
  18. face — part of the head
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kick — in football
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. date — the fruit

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