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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — for paper
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tube — a container
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — the earth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lean — thin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lean — to bend
  20. tube — the underground
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ground — crushed

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