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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rule — a law
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rule — government
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. last — final
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. can — a tin
  24. fine — a penalty

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