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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — temperature
  5. clip — for paper
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bank — for money
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — of the year
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bank — of a river
  18. clip — to cut
  19. degree — an amount
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — to recline

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