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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — government
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rule — a law
  16. fall — the season
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tube — a container
  19. clip — to cut
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. clip — a video

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