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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — of your body
  5. net — after costs
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — a box
  8. net — for catching
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — a container
  12. season — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rule — a law

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