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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — rain
  4. bat — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. press — newspapers

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