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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 116 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. face — to confront
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — the earth
  7. net — in sport
  8. chair — a leader
  9. staff — a stick
  10. net — after costs
  11. face — to point toward
  12. staff — employees
  13. tube — the underground
  14. net — for catching
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — a position
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ground — crushed
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lie — to recline

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