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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. race — a contest
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — finally
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — to go on
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pit — in a race
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bass — low music
  15. race — humankind
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — final
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — the fish

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