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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ball — a great time
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lean — to bend
  8. march — music
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lean — thin
  24. tube — the underground

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