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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: chip · foot · tube · present · game · file · plane · rule

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rule — a law
  7. tube — a container
  8. present — a gift
  9. chip — for betting
  10. present — there
  11. chip — to eat
  12. present — the time now
  13. file — a tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rule — government
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chip — in a computer

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