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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — for catching
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bat — the animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chair — to sit on

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