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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: chip · club · squash · fine · tube · spell · face · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. club — a group
  3. game — a match
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — letters
  9. face — to point toward
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spell — magic
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spell — a short time
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — for golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tube — a container

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