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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. net — for catching
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rash — a series
  19. chip — for betting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. tear — to rip

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