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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: patient · bat · tube · chip · sharp · mate · ruler · kid

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kid — child
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mate — a friend
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. kid — to tease
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — a partner
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chip — in a computer

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