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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 · bay · club · shower · land · jam · tube · kid

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rule — government
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tube — a container
  15. club — a group
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. shower — rain
  18. club — for golf
  19. tube — the underground
  20. land — a country
  21. rule — a law
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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