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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. race — a contest
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — a container
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. race — humankind
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fall — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. last — finally
  20. race — the arms race
  21. swing — to play on
  22. last — to go on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — in golf

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