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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. race — humankind
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. season — of the year
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mark — a trace
  16. race — the arms race
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stand — to bear
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — in sport
  23. rest — a break
  24. race — a contest

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