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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rule — government
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tube — in a tire

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