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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — farmland
  11. can — to be able to
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. pass — a permit
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — for digging
  23. can — a tin
  24. wave — of the sea

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