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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. present — a gift
  10. kid — child
  11. present — the time now
  12. spring — of water
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. present — there
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spring — the season
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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