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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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. suit — in cards
  10. race — the arms race
  11. band — a ring
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rest — a break
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — of your body
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — a box
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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