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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 116 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stem — to come from
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — the season
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lie — to recline
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. file — a tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a document
  24. rest — a break

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