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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. present — a gift
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tube — a container
  24. fall — the season

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