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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. last — to go on
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lean — thin
  5. rest — a break
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lean — to bend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — final
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mark — a trace
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — for a bird

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