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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rule — government
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — in sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. roll — a list
  15. rule — a law
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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