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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cell — a phone
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — humankind
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fine — all right
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cell — in biology
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. tube — a container
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tear — from crying
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — a contest

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