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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — to be able to
  10. race — a contest
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — child
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — humankind

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