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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pit — a hole
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chair — a leader
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kid — child
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. field — for sport
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. trunk — of a car

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