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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rule — a law
  3. track — a song
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rule — government
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chair — a leader
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ruler — a monarch

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