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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. chip — for betting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a music group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — child
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — the season

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