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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — the underground
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fall — to drop
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. court — for sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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