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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — finally
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. last — to go on
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. last — final
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lie — to recline
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — a container

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