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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — to tease
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — after costs
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — child
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — in sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — for catching
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — a path
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — a song

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