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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — rain
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — humankind
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — a country
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. race — a contest
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. can — a tin
  24. race — the arms race

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