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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: suit · chip · fork · fall · roll · tube · toast · scale

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — the season
  12. roll — a list
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. roll — a cake
  17. tube — a container
  18. scale — in music
  19. toast — bread
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fork — in a road

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