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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: jam · chip · cap · toast · net · kid · fine · mate

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — bread
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. net — for catching
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mate — a friend
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. kid — child
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cap — a hat
  18. net — after costs
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — in sport
  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