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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mark — a trace
  7. court — of law
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. file — a document
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — child
  19. file — a tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — to bend

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