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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. chest — a box
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kid — child
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chip — in a computer

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