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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rule — a law
  3. tube — a container
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rule — government
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. toast — bread
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. sharp — clever
  11. foot — a measure
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. tube — the underground
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — a phone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — exactly

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