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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. can — a tin
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spring — of water
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a great time
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mine — for digging
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — a container
  24. scale — size or range

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