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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. swing — in golf
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a trace
  7. race — humankind
  8. craft — a skill
  9. swing — to play on
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. craft — boats
  14. roll — a list
  15. last — to go on
  16. race — a contest
  17. tube — the underground
  18. net — after costs
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — for catching
  21. tube — a container
  22. race — the arms race
  23. roll — a cake
  24. craft — a handicraft

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