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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. firm — steady
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. perch — the fish
  14. firm — a company
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tube — a container
  17. pop — music
  18. firm — decided
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rule — a law
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — for a bird

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