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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — a contest
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pit — in a race
  18. date — the fruit
  19. race — humankind
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. roll — a list
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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