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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. race — the arms race
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. race — a contest
  6. band — a music group
  7. row — to paddle
  8. charge — electricity
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — a line
  11. charge — in control
  12. face — to confront
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. band — a ring
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. race — humankind
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ball — a dance

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