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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — a container
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rule — government
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tube — the underground
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rule — a law
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bass — low music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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