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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rule — government
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rule — a law
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cell — a phone

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