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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. object — an aim
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. wake — a trail
  9. object — to protest
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ground — a position
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rule — government
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — humankind
  19. ground — the earth
  20. race — a contest
  21. ground — crushed
  22. object — a thing
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tube — a container

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