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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.

Words on the sheet
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: game · tube · fine · squash · content · ball · file · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. content — the amount
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. game — a match
  11. tube — a container
  12. game — wild animals
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ball — a great time
  20. file — a line of people
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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