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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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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: arm · lie · straw · hide · chip · degree · tear · pitcher

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. degree — an amount
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — to eat
  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