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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · face · chip · tube · present · arm · pitcher · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. club — a group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of law
  8. present — a gift
  9. face — part of the head
  10. present — there
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chip — to eat
  13. face — to confront
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tube — the underground
  17. club — for dancing
  18. present — the time now
  19. tube — a container
  20. court — of a king
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — for sport
  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