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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mug — to rob
  6. race — a contest
  7. track — a song
  8. mug — a face
  9. tube — a container
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spell — letters
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. track — to keep track
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a path
  19. race — humankind
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — magic
  24. tube — in a tire

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