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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — a container
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spell — letters
  9. bat — the animal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — magic
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — a hat

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