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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: tube · chest · wind · chip · key · content · patient · pitcher

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chest — a box
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — the amount
  15. tube — a container
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. key — in music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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