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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 116 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 · cap · rash · rule · pitcher · deal · bound · race

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cap — of ice
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — tied together
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — a container
  11. bound — certain
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. race — humankind
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cap — a hat
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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