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

Word bank: mine · toast · face · tube · snap · chip · pit · mate

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. face — to confront
  6. mate — a friend
  7. snap — to click
  8. face — to point toward
  9. toast — bread
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mate — to breed
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chip — for betting

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