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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. season — of the year
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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