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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. tube — a container
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hand — in cards
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — the vegetable

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