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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 124 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tube — a container
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chip — to eat
  5. staff — a stick
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — to sink
  9. kick — in football
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chip — for betting
  14. can — a tin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tube — the underground
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. can — a tin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chip — in a computer

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