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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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. charge — in control
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spell — magic
  7. tube — the underground
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — a position
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. charge — electricity
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. charge — a price
  17. ground — crushed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. content — the amount
  21. spell — letters
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. spell — a short time

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