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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tube — a container
  3. bore — to tire
  4. charge — in control
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spring — the season
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bass — the fish
  12. field — a subject
  13. bore — to drill
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tube — the underground
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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