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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. race — humankind
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tube — the underground
  9. race — a contest
  10. chip — for betting
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tube — a container
  16. cap — of ice
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — in sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tube — in a tire

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