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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — child
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bear — the animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — not warm
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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