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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 · pitcher · snap · scale · kid · hand · tube · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — child
  5. tube — a container
  6. scale — in music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — to eat
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. snap — to click
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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