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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — a container
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — a group
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rest — a break
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. club — for golf
  23. kid — child
  24. tube — the underground

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