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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — to tease
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — child
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stem — to come from
  16. field — a subject
  17. kick — in football
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. clip — a video
  24. field — for sport

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