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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lie — to recline
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. land — to come down
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. land — a country
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — a song
  15. land — ground
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cell — a phone
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. track — a path
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in a prison

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