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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lie — to recline
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — to breed
  5. last — finally
  6. land — to come down
  7. toast — bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. last — to go on
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. last — final
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. tube — a container
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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