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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. tube — a container
  3. rule — government
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — tied together
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. root — the cause
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — the underground
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kick — in football
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bound — obliged
  24. plane — in geometry

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