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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — after costs
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — a contest
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. net — for catching
  13. chair — a leader
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. track — to keep track
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rest — what's left
  19. plane — a tool
  20. track — a path
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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