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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · march · cap · jam · tube · date · net · chip

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. march — music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cap — a hat
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chip — to eat

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