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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — in music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — in sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. key — for a lock
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — a gift
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — there
  22. clip — a video
  23. season — of the year
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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