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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: ball · chest · bore · track · chip · cue · file · bay

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. track — a path
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. chest — a box
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. ball — a great time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — for betting
  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