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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. tube — a container
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spell — magic
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — a path
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chip — to eat
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — a short time
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. track — a song

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