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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. object — to protest
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. object — an aim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. swing — in golf
  17. object — a thing
  18. rest — a break
  19. rule — a law
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tube — a container
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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