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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — in a race
  16. season — in sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. season — of the year
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chest — of your body

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