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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. rule — government
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — a box
  5. object — a thing
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. face — to confront
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rule — a law
  21. bear — the animal
  22. object — an aim
  23. face — to point toward
  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