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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 124 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. press — a publisher
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lie — to recline
  10. press — to push
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. season — of the year
  16. kick — in football
  17. season — in sport
  18. track — a song
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. arm — part of the body

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