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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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 — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — a contest
  4. can — to be able to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — from a university
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — an amount
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — a container
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. dip — to dunk
  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