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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a music group
  4. kid — child
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — to eat
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. perch — the fish
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chip — for betting
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. row — a line
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. perch — for a bird

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