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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: season · chip · shower · foot · game · tube · drill · calf

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — to eat
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. shower — rain
  10. season — in sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. season — of the year
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. drill — army training
  15. foot — a measure
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chip — for betting
  24. foot — the bottom

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