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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — the season
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — a container
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spring — of water
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cell — a phone
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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