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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ground — the earth
  4. race — a contest
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cue — for pool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — in music
  14. cue — a signal
  15. race — humankind
  16. ground — a position
  17. wound — an injury
  18. date — the fruit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. perch — the fish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cue — a hint

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