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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — for betting
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. press — to push
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — to wash
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — in a computer

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