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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — to eat
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — for betting
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — from a university
  12. can — a tin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — a coil
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spring — the season
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lean — thin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. can — to be able to

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