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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tube — the underground
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. ruler — for measuring

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