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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mate — to breed
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — certain
  23. tube — a container
  24. fan — to cool the air

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