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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. key — for a lock
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. land — to come down
  8. key — the most important part
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. key — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kid — child
  18. land — a country
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bore — to tire
  22. land — ground
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitcher — in 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