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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bat — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cap — a hat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pop — to visit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chip — for betting
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kid — child
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pop — music

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