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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kid — child
  3. march — music
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — the underground
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. object — a thing
  12. foot — a measure
  13. object — an aim
  14. tube — a container
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rule — government
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. field — a subject
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — rain
  23. rule — a law
  24. foot — part of the body

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