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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chip — to eat
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bank — for money
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — a series

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