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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tube — a container
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitch — completely
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. drill — army training
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tear — to rip
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  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