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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — soda
  6. roll — a list
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. roll — a cake
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — music
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. march — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. march — the month

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