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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. current — electric
  13. net — after costs
  14. hand — help
  15. net — for catching
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — to protest
  20. current — of water
  21. net — in sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. object — a thing
  24. kid — child

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