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

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. season — in sport
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pit — a hole
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. season — of the year
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hide — to keep secret

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