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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. mark — a trace
  4. band — a music group
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rule — a law
  10. content — happy
  11. race — the arms race
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rule — government
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. mark — a grade
  17. race — a contest
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — humankind
  21. tube — a container
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. content — videos and posts

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