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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. court — of a king
  4. rule — a law
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — of law
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tube — the underground
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chest — a box
  12. face — to confront
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. court — for sport
  19. rule — government
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tube — a container
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  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