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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chip — for betting
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. chip — to eat
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wake — before a funeral

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