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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — to eat
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tube — a container
  10. mine — for digging
  11. race — humankind
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — a contest
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lean — thin
  24. race — the arms race

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