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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mate — a partner
  3. staff — employees
  4. chip — to eat
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — a country
  7. race — a contest
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. land — ground
  12. tube — a container
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stock — goods
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — to come down
  19. stock — shares
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — to breed

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