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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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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hand — help
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fine — all right
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. squash — the sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hand — in cards
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tube — a container

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