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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spring — the season
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spell — letters
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mug — a face
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spell — a short time
  15. tube — a container
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — magic
  18. rash — a series
  19. rule — a law
  20. spring — of water
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tube — in a tire

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