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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. perch — the fish
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pound — a weight
  7. file — a document
  8. tube — a container
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rule — a law
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rule — government
  13. file — a tool
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cue — a signal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — for pool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — of the year
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pound — to hit hard

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