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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. last — final
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — finally
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — for digging
  14. object — an aim
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lie — to recline
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a city
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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