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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. staff — a stick
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rash — hasty
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — a container
  11. game — wild animals
  12. clip — to cut
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. staff — employees
  19. clip — a video
  20. rule — a law
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rule — government
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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