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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kick — in football
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — to recline
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kick — a thrill

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