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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chip — to eat
  3. roll — a list
  4. kid — to tease
  5. band — a ring
  6. kid — child
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. game — a match
  11. roll — a cake
  12. present — the time now
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. present — a gift
  18. chip — for betting
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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