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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. file — a document
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fork — in a road
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — high quality
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — a container
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. lie — to recline

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