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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — help
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — a container
  22. hand — in cards
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stand — for spectators

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