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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.

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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lie — to recline
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — in a race
  9. game — a match
  10. hand — help
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. press — a publisher
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — to push
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — newspapers

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