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

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cell — a phone
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bound — certain
  17. tube — a container
  18. cell — in biology

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