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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 116 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. object — an aim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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