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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spring — of water
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — a coil
  13. tube — a container
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. land — to come down
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. march — the month
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. jam — a tight spot

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