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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · pitcher · calf · lie · tear · fine · chair · rash

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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 — to recline
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chair — a professorship
  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