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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. snap — to click
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tube — a container
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cap — a lid
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wind — moving air
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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