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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — to recline
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — the sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — to crush
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. firm — steady
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hide — to keep secret

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