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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. perch — the fish
  12. land — a country
  13. tube — the underground
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wave — of the sea

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