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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ground — a position
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — the earth
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fall — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. race — humankind
  17. tube — the underground
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — a container
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ball — a great time

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