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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — music
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chip — for betting
  10. race — the arms race
  11. net — in sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — to eat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — a contest
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. net — after costs

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