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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: jam · can · game · tube · wake · file · arm · court

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. court — of law
  3. can — a tin
  4. tube — a container
  5. can — to be able to
  6. game — wild animals
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. court — for sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. court — of a king
  19. game — a match
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wake — a trail
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. file — a tool

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