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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 124 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. key — in music
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. swing — in golf
  11. kid — to tease
  12. row — a line
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — the most important part
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. swing — music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chip — to eat
  24. row — to paddle

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