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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pit — in a race
  4. suit — to fit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. march — the month
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chip — for betting
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pit — a hole
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. roll — a list
  22. suit — clothes
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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