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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. object — a thing
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cap — a hat
  6. scale — in music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mug — a cup
  9. kid — child
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mug — a face
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. fall — the season
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — of ice
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spell — letters
  20. mug — to rob
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chip — for betting

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