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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. suit — in cards
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. shower — rain
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. suit — to fit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — the sport
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. suit — clothes
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fork — in a road

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