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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. net — in sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — child
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cue — a hint
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cue — a signal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. chip — to eat
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — after costs

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