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

Word bank: row · chip · nail · tube · cap · cold · patient · pit

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pit — a hole
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pit — in a race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. tube — a container
  23. row — a line
  24. patient — a sick person

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