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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a hat
  8. race — a contest
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. race — the arms race
  13. tube — the underground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — humankind
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. key — in music

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