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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chip — to eat
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chip — for betting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — a trail

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