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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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. chip — in a computer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tube — the underground
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. degree — an amount

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