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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. toast — bread
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — for sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. field — farmland
  13. court — for sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. tube — a container
  21. field — a subject
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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