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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. pound — for dogs
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — a container
  6. bass — the fish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — humankind
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. race — a contest
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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