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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. row — a line
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mug — a face
  10. lean — thin
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — after costs
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — in sport

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