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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. last — final
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bound — certain
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tube — a container
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rock — music
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. last — to go on
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. dip — to sink
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — a stone
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — tied together

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