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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chip — to eat
  10. swing — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bass — the fish
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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