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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. shower — rain
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stock — shares
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spell — magic
  18. stock — goods
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tube — the underground
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mine — an explosive

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