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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — hurry
  4. track — a song
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — government
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. track — to keep track
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — the season
  18. firm — steady
  19. sharp — clever
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. rule — a law
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — temperature

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