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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tube — a container
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rock — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lash — an eyelash

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