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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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