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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fine — all right
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cell — in biology
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. clip — a video
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — a series
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fine — a penalty

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