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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. board — to get on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — for catching
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bat — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. net — after costs
  24. rest — what's left

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