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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: mine · tube · cabinet · chip · bat · sharp · fall · club

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fall — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chip — to eat
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — for golf
  24. tube — in a tire

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