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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cell — in biology
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — child
  10. chair — a leader
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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