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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — for sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cold — not warm
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cold — an illness
  10. firm — a company
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. firm — decided
  13. key — the most important part
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. root — the cause
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. firm — steady
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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