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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: roll · kick · kid · fan · chip · toast · cap · chair

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chip — for betting
  3. toast — bread
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — child
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kid — to tease
  11. roll — a list
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chair — a leader
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kick — in football
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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