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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — happy
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — a contest
  14. cold — an illness
  15. content — the amount
  16. fine — all right
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. race — the arms race
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — in a tire

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