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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mug — to rob
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tube — a container
  8. can — a tin
  9. mug — a face
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mug — a cup
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. can — to be able to
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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