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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — a match
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fork — in a road
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. race — humankind
  15. can — a tin
  16. mug — to rob
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fork — to eat with

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