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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. staff — employees
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — happy
  20. lie — to recline
  21. content — the amount
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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