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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 120 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 · ground · hand · chip · spell · racket · current · drill

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ground — a position
  4. current — happening now
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spell — letters
  11. current — electric
  12. hand — help
  13. spell — magic
  14. drill — army training
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. drill — the tool
  22. current — of water
  23. ground — crushed
  24. racket — for tennis

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