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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. scale — in music
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rock — a stone
  17. tube — a container
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — the underground

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