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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. band — a ring
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rule — government
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rule — a law
  24. band — a music group

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