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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. swing — music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — child
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rule — government
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ball — a dance
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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