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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. object — to protest
  4. race — a contest
  5. object — a thing
  6. cell — in biology
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. object — an aim

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