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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cold — an illness
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mark — a trace
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — child
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — the Cold War

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