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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — goods
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stock — shares
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. march — music
  24. chip — to eat

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