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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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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: arm · game · hand · file · toast · fan · deal · tube

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. file — a document
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. file — a line of people
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. tube — a container
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — help
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. game — a match
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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