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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a line of people
  3. shower — rain
  4. tube — a container
  5. cap — a lid
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tube — the underground
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cap — a hat
  18. race — humankind
  19. ball — a dance
  20. race — a contest
  21. degree — temperature
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. file — a document

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