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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kid — child
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bound — certain
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  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