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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — a leader
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rash — a series
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bound — certain
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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