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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — a container
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rest — a break
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rule — a law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rule — government

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