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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — humankind
  6. tube — a container
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chest — a box
  9. race — a contest
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bore — to 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