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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — a series
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. tear — to rip
  14. swing — in golf
  15. spell — a short time
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. press — to push
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tube — a container
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rash — on the skin

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