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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kid — child
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bound — tied together
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chip — for betting
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chip — to eat
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tube — a container
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tube — the underground

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