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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · lie · tube · race · mine · chest · scale · firm

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chest — a box
  6. track — a path
  7. race — humankind
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — size or range
  10. firm — a company
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. race — a contest
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. firm — steady
  17. scale — in music
  18. firm — decided
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. race — the arms race

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