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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. race — humankind
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cell — in biology
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. band — a ring
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. race — a contest
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. band — a music group
  23. tube — a container
  24. chip — to eat

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