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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rock — music
  3. charge — electricity
  4. tube — a container
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lie — to recline
  16. charge — a price
  17. march — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. charge — in control
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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