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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chest — a box
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kid — child
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mug — a face
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — low music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chip — in a computer

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