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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. kid — to tease
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ball — a dance
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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