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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · chip · swing · calf · rule · cap

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. kid — child
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rule — government
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cap — a lid
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. swing — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rule — to rule out

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