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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tube — a container
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. dip — to sink
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. kid — child
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stock — shares
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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