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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tube — the underground
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — to recline
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kid — child
  13. ground — a position
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. date — the fruit
  24. calf — a young animal

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