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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rule — a law
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — government
  20. kick — in football
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mate — a friend
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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