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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — a trail
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. race — a contest
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — hasty
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. net — in sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — in a race
  24. nail — on a finger

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