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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. firm — steady
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — the season
  10. firm — decided
  11. band — a music group
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. scale — in music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. firm — a company
  17. stock — shares
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stock — goods
  21. tube — a container
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chip — to eat
  24. band — a rubber band

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