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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a match
  7. march — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ground — crushed
  11. charge — in control
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lie — to recline
  15. face — to confront
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — the fish
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — the month

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