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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rule — government
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. land — ground
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tube — a container
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rule — a law
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — a country
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — the underground
  23. land — to come down
  24. wake — before a funeral

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