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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: kick · tube · pitcher · firm · race · file · rule · sharp

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — the arms race
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — the underground
  16. firm — decided
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kick — in football
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. rule — a law

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