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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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468
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: suit · fine · hand · game · tube · ball · file · foot

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — a match
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. suit — to fit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hand — help
  11. fine — all right
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fine — high quality
  14. tube — the underground
  15. suit — in cards
  16. file — a line of people
  17. suit — clothes
  18. hand — in cards
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. file — a document
  24. tube — a container

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