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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — of water
  8. key — for a lock
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. key — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. current — electric
  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