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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cue — a hint
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kid — child
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. swing — music
  12. land — ground
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — a video
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cue — for pool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kid — to tease

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