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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — a law
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — government
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — the season
  14. rash — a series
  15. band — a music group
  16. can — a tin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — a container
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tube — the underground
  24. swing — in golf

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