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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — thin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. track — a path
  16. tear — from crying
  17. track — to keep track
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. dip — to sink

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