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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. current — electric
  3. file — a tool
  4. march — music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — happening now
  8. march — the month
  9. file — a document
  10. current — of water
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rule — government
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — a law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pound — a weight
  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