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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. ground — crushed
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ground — a position
  7. season — of the year
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tube — a container
  10. race — a contest
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rule — a law
  20. season — in sport
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. race — humankind
  24. face — to confront

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