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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rule — government
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. key — in music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — a law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — a break
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — the most important part
  24. safe — out of danger

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