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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cell — in biology
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. tube — a container

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