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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spring — a coil
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — a series
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — hasty
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — a container
  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