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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rock — a stone
  3. band — a music group
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fall — the season
  22. ground — a position
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rock — music

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