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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — to get on
  5. track — a song
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — a line
  8. chip — for betting
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — to keep track
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — to eat
  16. track — a path
  17. kid — child
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a committee
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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