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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bass — low music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — a line
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. scale — in music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. roll — a list
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pit — a hole
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — the fish
  24. scale — for weighing

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