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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 computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. can — a tin
  8. bear — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chip — to eat
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — a container
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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