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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mark — a grade
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — of water
  10. spell — magic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spell — letters
  24. spring — the season

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