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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. season — of the year
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. last — final
  12. season — in sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. last — finally
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. last — to go on

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