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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: hand · tube · mug · chip · kid · mine · safe · ball

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — to eat
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chip — for betting
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mug — a face
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. tube — a container
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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