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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: rest · rule · tube · game · foot · pop · hide · content

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rule — government
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. tube — a container
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pop — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rest — a break
  15. content — happy
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. content — the amount
  18. rule — a law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — to visit
  24. content — videos and posts

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