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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. clip — a video
  6. chip — for betting
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tube — a container
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — a lid
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chest — a box
  23. craft — boats
  24. chest — of your body

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