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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · file · tube · chip · chest · nail · game · hand

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — wild animals
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. game — a match
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — temperature
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chip — to eat
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. degree — from a university

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