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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. rule — government
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rest — a break
  7. foot — a measure
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rule — a law
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tube — the underground
  23. foot — the bottom
  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