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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — humankind
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tube — a container
  23. race — a contest
  24. craft — boats

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