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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. firm — decided
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. firm — steady
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — a container
  11. pit — a hole
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. firm — a company
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. face — to confront
  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