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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spring — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a tool
  11. stand — to bear
  12. club — a group
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a document
  17. club — for golf
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spring — of water
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stand — on your feet

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