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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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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: mate · chest · chip · mouse · cap · tube · stick · ground

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. tube — a container
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chest — a box
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tube — the underground

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