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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bank — for money
  7. club — a group
  8. mug — a cup
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chip — to eat

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