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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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. charge — electricity
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. court — of law
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — in control
  9. object — a thing
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — a price
  16. object — to protest
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. court — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tear — to rip
  22. court — of a king
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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