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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — after costs
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — a signal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. net — in sport
  24. rest — a break

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