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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: lie · chair · pop · tube · season · pitcher · lash · cell

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — of the year
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pop — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. season — in sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — to lash out

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