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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rash — hasty
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — a series
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. tube — a container
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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