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

Word bank: tube · arm · leaves · kid · race · ground · bowl · net

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — a contest
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — a container
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kid — child
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — for catching

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