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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: mouse · firm · hide · march · rest · rule · tube · cap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — a container
  3. firm — a company
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rest — what's left
  8. firm — steady
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cap — of ice
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. firm — decided
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — a lid
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rule — a law
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rule — government
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — a break

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