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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — certain
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tube — a container
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a city
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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