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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · tube · swing · trunk · rule · file · pass · race

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — in golf
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — a contest
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rule — a law
  13. race — the arms race
  14. swing — to play on
  15. row — to paddle
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. row — a line
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a document
  22. tube — a container
  23. file — a tool
  24. race — humankind

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