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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — to recline
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pop — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rest — a break
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kid — child
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pop — soda
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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