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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — child
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chip — to eat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bore — to tire

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