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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pit — a hole
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fork — in a road
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — a container
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — in a race

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