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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — for betting
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kid — child
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. squash — to crush
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — a measure

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