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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fork — in a road
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kid — child
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chip — to eat
  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