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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. charge — a price
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stock — goods
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a committee
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stock — shares
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — to get on
  19. charge — in control
  20. bat — the animal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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