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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rule — a law
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bound — certain
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rule — government
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — for betting
  23. kick — in football
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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