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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. suit — clothes
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — in sport
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. chip — for betting
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bark — to shout
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chip — to eat
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. object — to protest
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. band — a music group
  21. suit — in cards
  22. band — a ring
  23. kid — to tease
  24. object — an aim

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