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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kid — child
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tube — a container
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — final
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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