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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. race — humankind
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — in sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. tube — a container
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. land — ground
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. race — a contest
  21. land — to come down
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. season — of the year

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