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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — a position
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a line
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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