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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. land — ground
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. pound — a weight
  24. land — to come down

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