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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cap — of ice
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lie — to recline
  14. season — in sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cap — a lid
  21. season — of the year
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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