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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to confront
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cue — a signal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — for pool
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. face — to point toward

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