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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tube — the underground
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tube — a container
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kid — to tease
  11. race — a contest
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — to confront
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. kid — child
  17. race — humankind
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — of the year
  21. face — to point toward
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. jam — a tight spot

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