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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pop — music
  17. rest — a break
  18. tear — from crying
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tube — the underground
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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