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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. field — farmland
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tube — a container
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. field — a subject
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — for sport

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