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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — magic
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — help
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — a break
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pit — a hole
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — to cut
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rest — what's left

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