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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hand — help
  14. rule — government
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — a container
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — a law
  24. temple — side of the head

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