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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. season — in sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — for paper
  7. court — of law
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. season — of the year
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. tube — a container
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lie — to recline
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tube — the underground
  21. court — of a king
  22. pass — a permit
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. court — for sport

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