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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. capital — money
  3. spell — letters
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spell — magic
  8. bank — for money
  9. capital — a city
  10. ground — a position
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bank — of a river
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. tube — a container
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — a short time
  24. capital — a big letter

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