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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rule — government
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — the underground
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tube — a container
  8. rule — a law
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. press — to push
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rash — a series
  23. press — a publisher
  24. 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