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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. race — a contest
  3. roll — a cake
  4. court — for sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — a container
  7. snap — to click
  8. lie — to recline
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. rest — a break
  13. roll — a list
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. race — humankind
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ruler — for measuring

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