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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: tube · press · rest · rule · stick · fan · game · kid

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — the underground
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tube — a container
  11. rule — government
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. press — a publisher
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — a law

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