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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 116 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cell — in biology
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tube — a container
  9. rule — government
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pop — soda
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. rule — a law
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a face
  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