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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. band — a music group
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tube — a container
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. roll — a list
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. band — a ring
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. roll — a cake
  19. shower — rain
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. kick — in football

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