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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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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: pound · rule · race · tube · fan · court · mug · sharp

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rule — government
  7. court — for sport
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mug — a cup
  11. race — humankind
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mug — a face
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — a container
  21. rule — a law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — a contest
  24. fan — a supporter

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