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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · lean · cold · game · stick · ball · current · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cold — an illness
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tube — the underground

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