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

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. squash — to crush
  9. band — a ring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. band — a music group
  16. wax — to grow
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — in music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — the sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wax — in the ear

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