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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rule — government
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — a container
  18. scale — in music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — a law
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mouse — for a computer

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