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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stock — goods
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — shares
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tube — the underground
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. court — for sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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