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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rule — government
  5. race — a contest
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tube — a container
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — a friend
  19. race — humankind
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rule — a law
  24. press — to push

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