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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. lie — to recline
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — magic
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. season — in sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bound — obliged
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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