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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — of the year
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. game — a match
  15. stand — to bear
  16. lie — to recline
  17. season — in sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. toast — bread
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bat — the animal

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