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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 124 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — letters
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chip — to eat
  7. scale — size or range
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spell — a short time
  16. scale — in music
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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