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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. ruler — a monarch

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