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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chest — of your body
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chest — a box
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — a container
  23. charge — a price
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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