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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. race — the arms race
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spring — the season
  7. race — humankind
  8. spring — a coil
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fine — all right
  11. net — after costs
  12. fine — high quality
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tube — a container
  15. race — a contest
  16. game — a match
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. snap — to click
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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