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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. perch — the fish
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tube — a container
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — army training
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — a hole
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fall — the season

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