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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: last · chip · foot · hand · chest · club · tube · fan

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — finally
  3. chip — for betting
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. last — final
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — help
  10. chest — a box
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — in cards
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. club — for golf

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