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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. key — in music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bark — to shout
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — child
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bat — for baseball

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