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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: drill · dip · lie · trunk · saw · kid · chair · chest

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chest — a box
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — army training
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — a practice
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lie — to recline
  23. saw — the tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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