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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rule — government
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. shower — rain
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — the underground
  11. drill — army training
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. content — happy
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — a contest
  24. drill — a practice

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