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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — a container
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. swing — music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a music group
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — to come down
  22. band — a ring
  23. current — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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