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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 · key · chair · lean · net · spell · lash · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — magic
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. key — in music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spell — letters
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lean — to bend
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lean — thin
  24. chair — a professorship

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