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

Word bank: lie · cap · kick · chair · prune · mate · cue · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kick — in football
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mate — to breed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cap — a hat
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tear — from crying

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