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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tube — the underground
  4. track — a path
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. present — the time now
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — to keep track
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a song
  17. present — a gift
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — the arms race

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