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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: bat · bulb · race · date · object · tube · cap · wind

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cap — a hat
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tube — the underground
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cap — of ice
  13. race — humankind
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — for light
  18. object — a thing
  19. date — the fruit
  20. object — an aim
  21. race — a contest
  22. bulb — for light
  23. object — to protest
  24. wind — moving air

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