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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: ground · race · sharp · stick · charge · cap · tube · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — a contest
  4. charge — a price
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. charge — electricity
  8. race — humankind
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ground — crushed
  13. tube — a container
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ground — a position
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cap — a lid
  21. scale — size or range
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. charge — in control

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