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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. scale — in music
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mug — to rob
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mug — a face
  15. key — in music
  16. fall — the season
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fall — to drop

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