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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tube — a container
  3. land — ground
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — soda
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rock — music
  19. rule — government
  20. pitch — completely
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rock — to move gently

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