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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stand — to bear
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. content — happy
  11. shower — rain
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. clip — for paper
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — a trail

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