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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. tube — a container
  2. march — the month
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. root — of a word
  8. rule — a law
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. root — of a plant
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. root — the cause
  20. fine — all right
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — to handle
  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