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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 124 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — of water
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tube — a container
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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