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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — a list
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rule — a law
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mate — to breed
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tube — a container
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. spring — of water
  13. rule — government
  14. can — to be able to
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tube — the underground
  20. face — to point toward
  21. drill — a practice
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — a tin

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