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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bore — to tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. net — in sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. game — a match
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kick — in football
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kick — a thrill

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