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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. 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. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. race — humankind
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tube — a container
  6. date — the fruit
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pit — a hole
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — a contest
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. toast — bread
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fine — all right
  18. 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