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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. roll — a cake
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — help
  18. chip — for betting
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — a container
  24. hand — in cards

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