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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. game — a match
  3. can — to be able to
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mug — a cup
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. pit — in a race
  16. race — a contest
  17. kid — child
  18. race — humankind
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mug — a face
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mine — an explosive

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