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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · pass · tube · cap · chip · pit · tear · plane

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — in a race
  11. tube — the underground
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pit — a hole
  20. plane — a tool
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tear — to rip

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