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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. press — to push
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — final
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — to go on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — finally
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — a contest
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. race — the arms race
  20. craft — boats
  21. press — a publisher
  22. craft — a skill
  23. race — humankind
  24. pit — a hole

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