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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lean — thin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — to eat
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — child
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. clip — a video

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