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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rule — a law
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. staff — a stick
  8. craft — boats
  9. rule — government
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — a group
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — for golf
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — the underground
  18. club — for dancing
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. toast — bread
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. craft — a skill

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