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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bore — to drill
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — a lid
  14. net — in sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. board — a committee
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bore — to tire
  24. net — for catching

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