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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chest — a box
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stand — to bear
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — government
  9. drill — army training
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. content — happy
  15. rock — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — the amount
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rule — a law

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