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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. present — there
  9. tube — a container
  10. present — the time now
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rest — a break
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — to go on
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. race — humankind
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — a gift

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