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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. club — for dancing
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lean — thin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cap — of ice
  17. club — a group
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — for golf
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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