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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. season — of the year
  4. kid — child
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. firm — decided
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cold — an illness
  17. firm — steady
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — a company

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