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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a line
  3. can — to be able to
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lie — to recline
  7. court — for sport
  8. club — for golf
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — a series
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — a tin
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tube — a container
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lie — an untruth

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