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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — a contest
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. ground — crushed
  17. court — of law
  18. race — the arms race
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — a series

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