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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cell — in biology
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. club — for dancing
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. clip — a video
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cell — a phone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — to cut
  15. club — a group
  16. bass — the fish
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bass — low music
  23. rule — a law
  24. club — for golf

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