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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — ground
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. land — to come down
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — a country
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bat — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rest — a break
  24. calf — a young animal

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