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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rule — government
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — a container
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — of law
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bank — of a river
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — the underground

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