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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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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chip — for betting
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. shower — rain
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cap — a lid
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — to eat
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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