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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. scale — in music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — a group
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — the time now
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. present — a gift
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chip — for betting
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — an eyelash

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