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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — a break
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tube — a container

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