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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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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: firm · last · tube · pop · rash · shower · rule · face

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — music
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — final
  8. face — to confront
  9. firm — a company
  10. last — finally
  11. rule — a law
  12. firm — decided
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pop — soda
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — rain
  20. firm — steady
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. last — to go on

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