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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — to eat
  19. squash — to crush
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a document
  22. cell — a phone
  23. squash — the sport
  24. track — to keep track

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