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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. object — to protest
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chest — a box
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a match
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. race — a contest
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. object — an aim
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. object — a thing
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chip — in a computer

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