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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 a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kid — child
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. row — a line
  8. track — to keep track
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bore — to drill
  16. track — a path
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. row — to paddle
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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