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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. clip — a video
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — a container
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chair — a leader
  24. court — of law

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