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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: nail · object · chest · stand · hide · kid · land · chip

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chest — a box
  6. land — a country
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — to come down
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — ground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — an aim
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kid — to tease

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