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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: file · bowl · chip · season · tube · tear · kick · court

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — to eat
  4. court — of law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tube — a container
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — of a king
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. court — for sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chip — for betting
  24. kick — with a leg

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