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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pit — in a race
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pit — a hole

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