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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. tube — a container
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — thin
  5. track — a song
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. scale — in music
  13. rule — a law
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rule — government
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — to play on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. swing — music
  24. track — to keep track

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