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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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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — a leader
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. lie — to recline
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cold — an illness
  24. trunk — of a tree

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