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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tube — a container
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pop — to visit
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pitcher — a jug

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