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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. field — a subject
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. charge — in control
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — to wash
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — for sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — of ice
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bass — the fish

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