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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kick — in football
  12. row — a line
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — a song
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. race — the arms race
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. race — humankind
  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