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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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 — to eat
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — a path
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. track — to keep track
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kid — child
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. shower — rain
  23. ball — a great time
  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