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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — steady
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chair — a leader
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. game — a match
  9. tube — a container
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. key — for a lock
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wind — moving air
  15. firm — decided
  16. key — the most important part
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. firm — a company
  21. key — in music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. dip — to dunk
  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