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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitch — completely
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cell — in biology
  23. racket — for tennis
  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