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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chip — for betting
  3. ground — a position
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. current — electric
  23. stand — for spectators
  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