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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — to eat
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kick — in football
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chip — for betting
  12. band — a ring
  13. fall — the season
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kid — child

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