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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. 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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — a song
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kid — to tease
  7. game — a match
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chip — for betting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — a path
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kid — child
  18. 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