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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. clip — a video
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chip — for betting
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hand — help
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tube — a container
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. clip — to cut

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