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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. press — newspapers
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — the season
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lie — to recline
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fall — to drop
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — to play on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — an untruth

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