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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ground — crushed
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to sink
  17. vault — a safe
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. scale — in music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. dip — a sauce

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