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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: rule · cell · tube · kick · rock · hide · fine · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rock — music
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rock — a stone
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rule — government
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kick — in football
  21. rule — a law
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fine — all right
  24. cell — a phone

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