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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rule — government
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. land — to come down
  14. rule — a law
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rush — a thrill

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