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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spring — a coil
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. spring — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — child

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