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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. land — a country
  3. cap — a hat
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cap — of ice
  9. last — to go on
  10. tube — a container
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. last — final
  15. land — ground
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — finally
  24. cold — an illness

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