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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — humankind
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — the arms race
  6. craft — a skill
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. race — a contest
  15. tube — a container
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fine — all right
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — boats
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a round shape

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