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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — to eat
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — for catching
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. net — after costs
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. band — a ring
  17. cap — a lid
  18. can — to be able to
  19. net — in sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chip — for betting

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