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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. kid — to tease
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — in sport
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — child
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. net — after costs
  23. chip — for betting
  24. board — to get on

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