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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. present — a gift
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kick — in football
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. object — a thing
  8. present — the time now
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chip — for betting
  11. object — an aim
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. present — there
  16. field — farmland
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. field — a subject
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — child
  22. field — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. object — to protest

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