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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 116 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. tube — a container
  8. capital — a city
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. capital — money
  16. pitch — completely
  17. land — to come down
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — ground
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rush — to hurry

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