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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — for paper
  4. tube — a container
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. clip — to cut
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rule — a law
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. clip — a video
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rule — government
  24. calf — of the leg

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