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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — a contest
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rest — a break
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. calf — of the leg

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