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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: race · bass · kid · hide · lie · net · leaves · shower

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — child
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. net — for catching
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. race — a contest
  19. bass — low music
  20. net — in sport
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the fish
  24. net — after costs

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