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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: key · rule · content · tube · rock · lie · land · cell

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. land — a country
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — the underground
  9. content — happy
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. content — the amount
  13. rule — government
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. land — to come down
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. land — ground
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. key — in music

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