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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fine — all right
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. roll — a list
  6. staff — a stick
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bass — low music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bass — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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