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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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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 · tube · sharp · row · rule · bat · fine · rush

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rule — a law
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fine — all right
  13. rest — a break
  14. rush — hurry
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — a line
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tube — a container

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