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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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a cup
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — for sport
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kid — child
  15. mug — to rob
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chip — to eat
  19. court — of law
  20. mug — a face
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. court — of a king

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