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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. kid — child
  5. object — a thing
  6. band — a ring
  7. date — the fruit
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — to eat
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. net — for catching
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — after costs
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — a publisher
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. safe — a strongbox

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