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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — child
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — thin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. scale — in music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lean — to bend

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