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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. kid — child
  5. chip — for betting
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spring — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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