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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rule — government
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. march — music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — a series
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — the month

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