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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pop — soda
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pop — to visit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. present — there
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rule — government
  15. present — a gift
  16. drill — a practice
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. current — happening now
  20. pop — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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