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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lie — to recline

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