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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — of a king
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rash — a series
  20. row — a line
  21. court — for sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — humankind

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