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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a dance
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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