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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
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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: rash · chip · game · safe · mug · kid · tube · spring

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mug — a face
  3. spring — of water
  4. kid — to tease
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kid — child
  8. rash — hasty
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — wild animals
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tube — a container
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — a series
  24. game — a kind of play

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