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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bat — the animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tube — the underground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. band — a music group
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cue — for pool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — a container
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — a tin
  24. band — a ring

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