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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rule — a law
  7. firm — steady
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mate — a partner
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. firm — a company
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. spring — a coil
  23. firm — decided
  24. spring — of water

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