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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. squash — to crush
  3. object — an aim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rule — government
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — for catching
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — after costs
  15. ball — a great time
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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