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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. lie — to recline
  2. tube — a container
  3. object — to protest
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. deal — to handle
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — an aim
  10. band — a ring
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. object — a thing
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — to go on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — finally
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bat — the animal
  23. last — final
  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