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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. 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 — a container
  2. spell — magic
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — a contest
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. 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