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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rule — government
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. swing — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mate — a friend
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a ring
  14. swing — in golf
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — a box
  20. staff — employees
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a music group
  24. mate — to breed

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