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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mark — a trace
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. squash — the sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — a container
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. race — humankind
  19. mark — a grade
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. march — the month
  24. squash — to crush

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