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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. stand — to bear
  8. charge — in control
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. clip — a video
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. charge — a price
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. net — for catching
  20. rock — music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chip — to eat
  24. clip — to cut

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