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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rock — a stone
  9. court — for sport
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rock — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — a container
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — of law
  16. field — farmland
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — the tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. plane — a tool

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