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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. row — a line
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. row — to paddle
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rash — a series
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bat — the animal
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. kid — child
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rock — a stone

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