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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. season — in sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. tube — a container
  9. bore — to tire
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — a contest
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. race — humankind
  15. season — of the year
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — of water
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mark — a trace
  22. field — farmland
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mark — a grade

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