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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tube — a container
  3. suit — to fit
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. shower — rain
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — in music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. suit — clothes
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. shower — to wash
  23. suit — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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