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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — for betting
  21. foot — a measure
  22. kid — child
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chip — to eat

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