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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. kid — child
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for golf
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — a trainer

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