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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kid — child
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tube — the underground
  8. suit — clothes
  9. tube — a container
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. suit — in cards
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mark — a trace

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