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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. object — a thing
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. object — to protest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — a line
  14. object — an aim
  15. kid — child
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — to come down
  19. fine — all right
  20. row — to paddle
  21. land — a country
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fine — a penalty

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