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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tube — a container
  3. drill — army training
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. snap — to click
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — the underground
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — to go on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. deal — to handle
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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