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

Word bank: chip · rest · cap · kid · kick · march · object · bank

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kid — to tease
  4. march — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kick — in football
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. object — a thing
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. object — to protest

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