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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tube — a container
  3. cold — an illness
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — not warm
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. snap — to click
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. foot — a measure

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