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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chip — to eat
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. leaves — of a tree

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