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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lie — to recline
  3. present — there
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. present — a gift
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tube — a container
  20. date — the fruit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — completely
  23. present — the time now
  24. sharp — with an edge

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