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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kid — child
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bank — of a river
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. tear — from crying

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