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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spell — a short time
  13. scale — in music
  14. mug — a face
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pit — a hole
  18. scale — size or range
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tube — the underground
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. tube — a container

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