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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. race — humankind
  12. ball — a dance
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. sharp — with an edge

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